A Navy sailor recalls Pearl Harbor

Will Lehner

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Will Lehner joined the Navy in 1938 at the age of 17. Lehner was aboard the USS Ward patrolling the entrance to Pearl Harbor the morning the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. After war was declared, Lehner continued to serve on the Ward as a fireman second class in the Pacific until the Japanese sunk the ship on December 7, 1944.